Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, shares children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, with husband Prince Edward who she married in 1999 aged 34 – but she struggled to conceive
For the Duchess of Edinburgh, the road to motherhood was filled with heartbreak and two terrifying near death experiences, according to a new biography.
Sophie: Saving The Royal Family by Sean Smith, lays bare Sophie’s secret struggles to have children. The now mother-of-two married Prince Edward in a star studded ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in June 1999. But behind the smiles, the Countess – as she was then – was quietly aware that time was against her.
At 34, she longed to start a family but feared her biological clock was ticking. Friends noticed her discreet visits to Harley Street fertility expert Zita West, dubbed the “baby whisperer,” who prescribed holistic therapies including Pilates, acupuncture and nutritional guidance to boost her chances of conceiving.
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In late 2001, Sophie’s joy was uncontainable when she discovered she was pregnant. But her happiness was short-lived. At just six weeks, she began suffering stomach pains.
In the early hours of the morning, Edward sprang into action, summoning royal doctors. Fearing an ectopic pregnancy – where a fertilised egg implants outside the womb – they called for an air ambulance.
As the helicopter landed on the lawn at Bagshot Park, Sophie was rushed to London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital. She underwent emergency surgery lasting three hours and required five pints of blood.
Outside the hospital, Edward, visibly shaken, addressed waiting reporters. “It’s obviously a very traumatic time and my wife has… it’s quite the most painful thing anyone can undergo. It’s a pretty traumatic experience,” he said.
Sophie later released a statement expressing her heartbreak: “I am obviously very sad but it was just not meant to be. But there will be other chances. The nurses have been unbelievably fantastic.”
Determined not to give up, the couple turned to IVF. After two unsuccessful rounds, their third attempt worked and in summer 2003 Sophie was pregnant again.
This time she took no chances, stepping back from royal duties and giving up horse riding to protect her pregnancy.
By November 2003, she was glowing as she carried out engagements. But just two days after opening Childline’s new headquarters, another scare hit the couple.
Alone at home while Edward was on an official visit to Mauritius, Sophie suffered intense stomach pain.
She was rushed to Frimley Park Hospital. Doctors diagnosed a placental abruption, where the placenta separates from the womb, cutting off oxygen to the baby. Sophie was losing blood fast.
An emergency caesarean delivered baby Lady Louise prematurely at just 4lb 9oz. She was whisked to a neonatal unit while doctors battled to save Sophie, who required nine pints of blood and drifted in and out of consciousness.
Edward flew back from Mauritius in shock to find both his wife and newborn fighting for their lives. “It’s been a pretty fraught time,” he admitted.
The late Queen Elizabeth II broke protocol to visit her youngest son’s wife in hospital. When Sophie was discharged after 16 days, she and Edward posed with their tiny daughter, the relief evident on their faces.
“For the first ten years after Louise was born, I found it very hard to go to ‘prem’ wards. It would bring the whole thing back,” Sophie later said.
But out of her trauma came purpose. The Duchess became a passionate advocate for neonatal care and air ambulance services – the same people that had saved her and her daughter.
In 2007, Sophie and Edward welcomed a second child, James, Viscount Severn. Miraculously, this pregnancy was straightforward and delivered safely by planned caesarean.
At home, Sophie sought to give her children as normal an upbringing as possible.
The Queen, a doting grandmother, would often watch Mr Tumble on CBeebies with Louise and James during family visits to Windsor. “I guess not everyone’s grandparents live in a castle, but where you are going is not the important part, or who they are,” Sophie reflected.
Her bond with the late Queen deepened through shared experiences of family life. Sophie even learned to embrace her mother-in-law’s passions – fishing in Scotland and shooting pheasant on royal estates.
Sophie: Saving The Royal Family by Sean Smith is set to be published on July 17.
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